I'm on port and can't cross the starboard boat, so I have to duck her. Should I bear away early and give myself plenty of room, or leave it late and pass close behind her?
Leave it late. Hold your course until you're about a length from her, bear away just enough to pass close behind her rudder, then come straight back up to close-hauled. Ducking early and wide sails extra distance for nothing: in the same boats, same wind, same start, the late duck finishes about a length and a half further up the course. The catch: misjudge a late duck and you hit her, and as the port boat that's your penalty (Rule 10). In big waves, or near a boat you don't trust, extra room can be the smart call.
📖 Want more situations like this one? Bryan Willis's The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 works through the rules as they happen round the racecourse. (affiliate link)
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<p><a href="https://sailing.kiwi.nz/v/qBJ76LeVGh8/">Source: Sailing Kiwi</a></p>Go deeper: books and gear
- Tactics Made Simple by Jon Emmett — Racing tactics, explained simply.
- The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Situations round the racecourse, worked through for the current rules.
- Five Oceans masthead wind indicator — See the wind direction at a glance.
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